This Young Rapper Could Be OVO’s Next Prospect

Who is @bando416?

For months now, OVO watchers have been
wondering about the identity of @bando416. Theories have abounded based on his social media presence and apparent friendship with Drake and OVO founder Oliver El-Khatib. Was he just some lucky kid plucked from the streets of the 6 to work at OVO's retail location? The younger relative of an established crew member? Oliver's personal assistant? He may be any and all of those things, but it turns out young Bando is also a rapper who goes by the name Safe.

So far, Safe has posted one song to his Soundcloud account. (He's not to be confused with singer and onetime Greedhead signee SAFE.) The track is called "Now" and was produced by Texas native and Drake collaborator Eric Dingus, which leads us to further wonder whether Drake and Oliver might have their eye on Safe for more than just folding owl-emblazoned T-shirts at the OVO store. The track is intriguing—a simple, melodic account of some run-of-the-mill exploits: making money, getting women, and generally proving haters wrong.